William Hung keeps his star shining by taking act across Pacific

Published 4:00 am, Wednesday, August 4, 2004

William Hung bangs again, this time in his first concert in Asia before a crowd of 200 at the Kam Pek casino in Macao on Saturday (July 31, 2004). Lisa Chiu Special To The Chronicle

William Hung bangs again, this time in his first concert in Asia before a crowd of 200 at the Kam Pek casino in Macao on Saturday (July 31, 2004). Lisa Chiu Special To The Chronicle

William Hung keeps his star shining by taking act across Pacific

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2004-08-04 04:00:00 PDT Macau -- His 15 minutes may be up in the United States, but William Hung of Berkeley, arguably "American Idol's" most popular reject, is getting his second wind in Asia.

He gave his first performance in the Eastern Hemisphere on Saturday, where he wowed a crowd of 200 at the slot-machine hall in the Kam Pek casino in Macau, a former Portuguese colony and the only city in China where gambling is legal.

Despite, or perhaps because of, his lovable geekiness, Hung is hot in Asia. He arrived in Asia on Friday to begin filming his first movie opposite popular Hong Kong entertainer Nancy Sit. Also lined up are several public appearances in Hong Kong and a concert in Singapore in September. When several Web sites cited as fact a satirical report by Brokennewz.com that Hung had committed suicide by heroin overdose, Singapore concert organizers reportedly received calls from worried fans across Asia.

Regarding the death rumors, Hung said: "They're not true. I'm healthy and energetic as ever."

Audience members in Macau held up signs saying, "I love you William Hung! " and cheered while he did his rendition of "She Bangs" yet again. He also treated them to an a cappella Cantonese song.

"He performs so well, and I think he's very funny," said 18-year-old Sio Weng Man from Macau. "It wasn't fair he didn't make it. I think he's so brave to try out and perform."

In addition to a forthcoming movie, Hung also has four other roles with the same production company in the next year. Meanwhile, Hong Kong residents are downloading a voice-mail recording en masse, which may or may not be Hung's actual voice, that says in Cantonese: "Hello! I am William Hung. Your friend is making a music video of a new song with me and can't answer your call."

In Macau, Hung fielded questions from journalists from Hong Kong, Taiwan, China and Singapore on everything from his next album to his taste in women.

His forthcoming album will have a Christmas theme and will be out "sometime before Christmas," the 21-year-old UC Berkeley student said. His first album, "Inspiration," has sold 380,000 copies worldwide. On the latter subject, he replied that he's looking for a "good girl" and one who "actually likes me."

Fans in Asia seem much more enthusiastic than his American fans, Hung said.

In the United States, "people are more reserved and still very suppressed. In Asia they are so excited. They're shouting out loud and they let it all out," Hung said.

The hardest challenge to all his newfound fame is "continuing to be myself," he said. He added that the ridicule that comes with his popularity doesn't bother him.

"I just like singing. I don't mind having some people ridicule me," Hung said. "No singer can get 100 percent of the people to like them. I just keep doing my best."

Hung's trip is also a homecoming. He was raised in Hong Kong and Macau until he was 11 years old, before moving to the United States. He still speaks Cantonese, but he admits that he's not as fluent as he was before.

In Macau, Hung and his parents toured several tourist sites with a camera crew from Singapore that is featuring him in a forthcoming entertainment special. Waving in front of historic Penhua Church, Hung shot segments for the special with co-star Sit. His mother was close by, coaching him through several shots and closely monitoring his dialogue.

Hung will play Sit's devoted son in the yet-to-be-named Cantonese comedy. Sit said she heard about Hung from her daughter, who watched his performance online.

"My daughter said, 'Look at him, Mom,' and I saw that he was shaking and moving and he really made me very happy," Sit said. After lengthy negotiations, Hung was finally on board.

"I think he's really going to be the next big comedian," Sit added.

His real mother couldn't be more pleased.

"We are very happy, we are so proud of him," Hung's mother beamed.

While Hung said he plans to return to UC Berkeley one day, he can't say when that will be.

"I'll finish my degree sooner or later," Hung said. "It depends on the future, and no one can predict the future."